To Help
by Yitani East
Summary: When Yosuke takes a mortal blow for His Partner in battle, everyone in the Investigation Team is forced to contemplate where they stand not just with Their Leader but each other, their future and their families. No pairings for now. Rating may go up.
1. Chapter 1

_All of these chapters will be short and take place somewhere in mid-December. This could be a part of a larger series in the future._

* * *

"Dude, stop!" Yosuke never fucking thinks before he does anything. It's so. Fucking. Infuriating. Kanji reaches out to grab Yosuke and stop him from this fool ass charge but he's too fast. He's _always_ too fast. The feeling of Yosuke's shirt just barely touching his fingertips and Kanji's heart dropping to his feet with urgency will haunt him later. Right now, he's cursing, yelling and screaming but the result is always the same. There is no stopping Yosuke from putting himself between their leader and danger. This is not the first time this happened but it's one of the few moments he's ever been afraid of the result. Everything seems to go too slow but happen too quickly for anyone to react.

The next moment their leader is shoved to the ground and lightning strikes with a crash sending Yosuke careening down into the furthest wall. For a moment, Rise's shriek is lost to the sound of the wet _crack_ Yosuke's body makes upon impact. The ground shakes as Kanji breaks into a run so hard and fast, shooting pains pierce the soles of his feet. The ferocious scream of rage their Leader lets out precedes several Agidyne explosions.

Just yesterday Kanji grabbed Yosuke by the scruff of his collar and shouted in his face, "if you don't stop doing shit like this you're gonna get killed!" And Yosuke responding in his normal way - dismissive, carefree – only made him angrier. "Think of us, dude! Think of your parents! What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Their Leader broke them up before Yosuke could say anything. He never got an answer. Right now, he's afraid he never will. Chie-Senpai and Yukiko-Senpai are with Naoto in an entirely different part of this multi-story slice of hell. Rise is sure to get their attention but there's just no telling.

The dust is persistent as their Leader launches attack after attack. Kanji's sure he doesn't even even care that that shadow is weak to fire, he just wants it dead. There's a part of him that wants to share in the fury but in the rare moments their Leader loses his infamous cool, it's best just to stay out of his way.

Yosuke's body lays crumpled in a struggling heap. Gagging, gurgling dry heaving are not the best signs of life but Kanji recently learned the very important English idiom "Beggars can't be Choosers." He doesn't reach Yosuke until the other has barely pulled himself into a sitting position. Holy shit, that right arm is _shattered_. His ribs must be liquid.

"Shit. Shitshitshit..." Kanji finds himself muttering he doesn't even know where to start. "H...hang in there, Senpai..." God what does he even do? Yosuke-senpai is _broken_. Everywhere he looks, something is either bloody or bent in the wrong direction. How is he even conscious? Yosuke's head is hung, as he takes gasping, gurgling breaths. Fuck. _Fuck_. "What were you _thinking_ , man?" The usual nothing, he figures until he catches wind of the gurgling, ragged reply.

"I...i...isssss..."

"No, no, you jackass..." Kanji cajoles gently pressing his hands to Yosuke's face wordlessly pleading with him to lift his head. He doesn't want to think about the wetness on his hands. "...don't try to talk, alright?" He wants to shake this asshole and scream. WHY DO YOU KEEP DOING THIS!?

"I...ssssss...pa-pa-aaaaart." Part? Part. Partner!

"Partner? You mean Senpai?" All he gets is a faint noise of confirmation. His hands are braced around Yosuke's face like he's keeping it together.

"O...ok..." That "k" is terribly painful for Yosuke to eek out. "k...ay?" Okay? Okay. Is Partner okay? Kanji glances over his shoulder. The shadows are gone and and he's running toward them as fast as he can but he's a far ways off.

"Yeah. He's okay. Just...don't try to talk anymore, man. _Please_." He doesn't. The wet feeling on Kanji's hands starts oozing through his fingers. Panicking, he briefly pulls his hands away. Their Leader runs up just in time to see blood from Yosuke's bent head dripping into Kanji's hands. He's never panicked before in his life but suddenly he's on his knees, hands braced on Yosuke's shoulders, desperately calling his name. He'll apologize for shoving Kanji out of the way later. Maybe. "This is bad, Rise. How far are they?" He never thought Kanji's voice could shake like that. This isn't a cracked rib or a broken arm. This is different. This is terrifying.

And it's his fault.

"I'm okay, Yosuke, I'm fine, see?" Kanji hears a thin, shaking "why did you do that?" That wasn't meant for him to hear. So he pretends he didn't. At the sounds of His Partner's voice, Yosuke finally struggles to lift his head. Kanji let's out a quiet "fuck" when they both finally see where all that blood comes from. He can't take it. He looks away and he's ashamed that he does. Their hopes rely on how fast Yukiko-Senpai can run. Yosuke-Senpai might really die for a _goddamn fool decision_. Surely, their Leader could have chosen another persona and blocked that Lightning attack.

Right?

"Yosuke? No, Yosuke, don't! Look at me! Look at me, damn it!" Their Leader's desperate pleas make Kanji's eyes snap back to Yosuke's heaving chest. He hears the gasps for air before he sees his one good eye left rolling back. Gasps turn into gurgles, blood slips from his lips in tiny drops, but when his mouth hangs open, like he's still trying to speak – _goddamnit Yosuke you talk to fucking much_ – blood covers his teeth and bubbles in the back of his throat.

 _"There's nothing to heal if you're dead!" Teddie warned them one day. "So even if you have this spell you've gotta be extra careful!"_

"Please, Yosuke...c'mon, Partner, don't do this to me." Their Leader begs His Second to stay alive. Stay breathing. He takes Yosuke in his arms, he's so limb and fragile. Kanji's pleas sounds more like sobs and he becomes too aware of his own tears dripping off his chin.

"Amaterasu!" A familiar warmth breaks over the boys as harmless sparks rain from white wings circling protectively around them. _Yukiko's here_. Chie and Naoto aren't far behind. "Don't tell me I'm too late." She's pretty beat up, even limping a little. She doesn't care. But when she hears a loud, greedy gasp for air from Yosuke. She cast another just to hear it again. She drops to her knees, exhausted and doubly sure she sprained her ankle back there. She doesn't know how close she came to being late. She just knows that she's the reason Yosuke is alive now and that's all she needs. By the time Chie and Naoto skid to a halt, Yosuke has gone from limp in Their Leader's arms to bent over on his knees. It doesn't look like an improvement to Naoto but judging by Rise's panicked sobbing and Teddie's wailing, she'll have to take what she can get.

"Move, Senpai give him some room." Kanji's voice is still shaking, but he has to peel Their Leader off of His Second. Healing Spells might be a godsend, but they are not free of consequences. Sometimes, a body just can't handle the shock. Everyone cringes as Yosuke's consequences are heaps of coagulated blood and other unpleasant substances erupting from his mouth with a sickly "guuurk". Their Leader sits back on his haunches, eyes closed in what he hopes is relief. He doesn't look relieved. He looks angry. Chie is pretty sure it's _her_ job to be angry at Yosuke for pulling stupid shit, but she doesn't feel angry right now. In fact, she wants to cry a little. She can still taste the fear in the air and Rise and Teddie's frantic calls of "on our way" aren't helping. Was Yosuke really about to _die_? Kanji, not Their Leader, rubs Yosuke's back as he shakes and gags though more convulsions. "That's it, man. Let it all out. Get it all out." Everyone stews in their relief for a moment. Rise and Teddie come flying in, cringing at Yosuke's poor state. Kanji finds himself glad they didn't see him just moments ago.\

The shock falls off, desperation crumbles and all that's left is the disturbing reality of the situation. God, Yosuke-senpai _seriously almost died_. The hot tongues of anger start stoking a fire in Kanji's chest once again. He's used to being angry at Yosuke, but he doesn't feel like shouting. Instead of shouting at him, they're all forced to think back at how many times this has actually happened. No one's talking. The sound of Yosuke's labored breathing seems louder than anything else in this place. Yosuke sags against him and Kanji almost checks if he's still breathing. He's exhausted. Anyone would be. Yosuke glances up, expression unreadable. It's so weird to see him speechless. Kanji opens his mouth to speak but he never gets the chance.

"Get him up." Everyone's eyes snap to Their Leader. He's talking to Kanji, but he can't seem to tear his eyes away from Yosuke. For once, Kanji is at odds with him.

"Give him a minute, Senpai, he's..."

"Get." The first word is so heavy ans strained, Their Leader has to look away as he forces it out. "Him up." After a pause, Their Leader adds in a gentler tone, "Please." Whatever Yosuke wants to say sticks in his throat. He doesn't have the wherewithal to hold onto it. "We're going home for the day." Kanji helps Yosuke to his feet.

"C'mon." He says quietly. Yosuke might be whole again, but he still feels so breakable. He doesn't quite catch Yosuke's murmured "thanks", he's too busy trying to pretend that his friend's blood wasn't just all over his hands. Teddie walks a little too close to Yosuke's other side. Trailing behind them is Naoto, already planning ahead and marveling at the fact that Yosuke-senpai's headphones and music player are still together in spite of having been thrown from his person.

The music player still says "play" but all she can hear is garbled muttering. Relief aside, she dreads telling Yosuke-senpai his precious headphones are broken.


	2. Chapter 2

If Naoto had it her way, Yosuke-senpai would be in an Emergency Room not neatly deposited in a chair in the Junes Food Court, but what story could they tell his parents, much less Dojima? She doesn't like questions she can't answer. The one that nags at her the most is "why"? Why would Yosuke-senpai continually put himself at such great risk? "To protect Their Leader" is just too simple of an answer. Kanji mutters about how Hanamura never thinks before he acts.

Naoto disagrees.

"Go home, guys. I'm fine, really." Yosuke has the gall to say that to their faces after what they've seen. Chie goes completely red. Yukiko is too slow to keep her from snapping.

"You jerk! Are you serious? You nearly got your head taken off! We were worried about you but I see it's not that important to you!" Chie spits. Her volume tries to compensate for all the anger she isn't feeling. Good thing Junes is practically deserted so close to closing hours. Yosuke winces, head heavy. The smallest, most pathetic sound comes from his throat but it stops her in her tracks.

"Chie-senpai...maybe you should..." Rise's voice is gentle maybe even a little shaky but her eyes say " _shut the fuck up_ ". Chie gets the message, but she is not happy about it. She snarls, then turns on her heel with a loud click. She clenches her hands into fists, bearing her teeth. _God_ , how she wants to be angry. She just feels cold inside. "C'mon, Yukiko. We're going home." That last word shakes in Chie's mouth. Had Yukiko not heard it, she would have refused her. Ever the polite one, she bows gives a short bow to her friends.

"I'm sorry. Feel better, Yosuke-kun." Of course he'll feel better, she healed him. _She healed him_. She refuses to acknowledge what could have happened had she been too late because she got there and everything is okay now. _Everything is okay now_. Yosuke-kun's hand totally _doesn't_ feel oddly thin when he grabs hers, stopping her from immediately following Chie. She won't catch up at this rate. Her ankle still hurts.

"Thank you." Yosuke-kun is still looking at the ground. It's easier for the both of them. She pats his hand, but can't find it in herself to respond. _Everything is okay_. There's no need to. Everyone watches her run after Chie until she turns the corner. Naoto vaguely notes that she's running fairly too fast on an ankle that badly swollen.

"If we're not taking him to a hospital, I must go as well." Naoto replies. Her phone is overflowing with concerned texts from her disgruntled grandfather. He's going to be displeased with her uniform torn like this. They have _got_ to stop wearing their school uniforms to the TV World. She's not sure how she feels about crouching down to Yosuke-senpai's level. Being a mere five feet she might never have to again. It's a pity. He's ashamed when he damn well shouldn't be. Not to her."Yosuke-senpai? Look at me." She gives him a bit more incentive to actually do so when she places his headphones and music player into his lap. She almost feels honored by the relieved gratitude in his eyes. He opens his mouth to speak but she won't give him the chance. Not in his condition.

"If you start to feel nauseous again, or blackout, you should call emergency services immediately." The weak nod she gets is a good a response as any. "I hope you recover quickly. We only have a few days until we have to go back in again." Rise winces. Why did Naoto have to add that last part? Naoto turns to Their Leader. She's surprised to see him still gazing off in Yukiko and Chie's general direction. "Do you need help taking him home?"

"No." The pointed reply spawns a brief moment of confused silence. Their Leader has stressed over less. Teddie and the underclassmen exchange furtive glances and suddenly, Naoto is at a loss for words. "Come on. I'll walk you home."

"But..." Rise wants to finish that sentence but Their Leader won't turn around and _look_ at her. Everything she wants to say runs screaming back down her throat. Their Leader just keeps walking. Naoto oscillates on the sidewalk. This is the first time she's hesitated in the eyes of her leader, or doubted his judgment. She hates to admit it, but She doesn't move until Rise and Kanji nod at her to go ahead. She has to jog to catch up.

She's ashamed that her verbosity fails her. She always felt so at ease with her Senpai until now. The silence between them, once so comforting, grates at her. The entire walk home she gazes at his face, desperate to read him. Ever since she became the missing cog in the Investigation Team machine, the fact that she can pick up on the formally stoic upperclassman's tells and quirks brought her joy. She felt trusted. Cared for. Now, it's all gone.

But why?

She can't seem to answer that question. More's the pity. She can only \assume that he's worried about Yosuke-senpai. This isn't the first time this has happened and probably won't be the last. In fact, she still has a red line around her neck where Yosuke-senpai had to pull her out of the way of an Agidyne spell at great personal risk. Just yesterday, he and Susano-o physically shielded Kanji and his massive Persona from a particularly harsh Garudyne. Under normal circumstances, this wouldn't have been a problem, but Yosuke-senpai had already been poisoned and was in particularly bad shape. Of course, Kanji showed his concern through anger and was only further inflamed by Yosuke's cheerful indifference.

Naoto finds herself wondering; does Yosuke-senpai think that much or that _little_ of himself? For once, she thinks she better off not knowing.

"Good night. I'll see you at school." Never has she heard anything so robotic and forced come out of Her Leader's mouth. She finds herself oscillating again in front of her front door. She wants to speak but hasn't the words to say.

"Um...Senpai!" He halts on the foggy street but doesn't turn around. Naoto hopes something will come to her now that she has his attention but comes up with nothing. "Please let me know if Yosuke-senpai's condition changes." He doesn't call her out on it, nor does he tell her okay. He just raises his hand and vanishes into the fog leaving Naoto to go inside and deal with her mildly frantic grandfather.

She has a feeling she won't sleep well tonight.


	3. Chapter 3

After leaving Yosuke-senpai in the care of Teddie, Kanji decides that he doesn't really like Hamamura-san. For all his _annoying bullshit_ , Yosuke-senpai has redeeming _if not admirable_ qualities but his dad left a sour taste in Kanji's mouth. The man wasn't terribly cruel or belittling, though he did seem pretty angry about being woken up past midnight. But wouldn't a normal parent be a little freaked out that his son came home blood stained and beaten so badly his friends had to piggy back him home? His mother can barely handle it when he has a black eye. Instead, Yosuke-senpai got a "what the hell happened to your face?". Well, half of it was _missing_ an hour ago, asshole.

Then, Hanamura-san just went back upstairs with a "if you're still hurting tomorrow, don't bother coming into work." Kanji supposes that could pass as concern. Hanamura-san could've just been tired. According to Teddie, he does wake up very early. He should give a friend's dad the benefit of the doubt but something just doesn't sit well with him. At least now he knows where most of Yosuke-senpai's _annoying bullshit_ comes from.

"Kanji-kun..." Rise says slowly. "You okay?"

"Really do you have to ask?" Kanji pretends not to see her wince away but adds in a softer tone. "I'm definitely going to have a rough time sleeping tonight." Rise agrees with a soft "yeah". She wraps her arms around herself trying to fight tears at the mere memory of Yosuke-senpai's death rattles. She hears everything they do and say in those mazes. She didn't know humans could make those sounds. She's the only person who knows exactly what happened on impact. Yosuke-senpai was hit so hard he didn't even have time to scream. They've all been in bad states before; broken bones, unconsciousness, heavy bleeding even temporary blindness. Death always seemed like possibility but a distant one. They're trying to prevent more victims not trying to become one themselves. This night could've just been much worse than just an awkward meeting with an irritated parent.

"...and I just hope he..." Oh crap. Kanji's been talking this whole time. "Hey, you even listen...oh..." He doesn't have to finish the question upon seeing Rise trying so valiantly to hold in her tears, she's going pale. "Things are okay now though. Yosuke-senpai's _fine_." But what if he wasn't? What would happen to them? What would happen to Her Senpai without his second command? No one else can fill that role. Yosuke-senpai takes the edge off, even if he doesn't mean to. Chie-senpai might just think he's being a jerk, Kanji too but Rise knows better. Risette is the same way. It's not just Yosuke-senpai's near dying breaths that will haunt her dreams at night.

"You guys...sounded so scared." Rise mutters. Kanji already knows where this going and he has no idea of what he's going to do if someone catches Rise crying against him at 1am in the middle of the street. She gives him a weak punch. "You cried." Kanji nearly trips over the embarrassment.

"Yeah, well. Look. People get...scared, alright. You didn't see it, okay? You didn't see his face." He blusters only to be countered with a soft,

"I didn't have to." That stops him dead in his tracks. Her sensors must have caught it all: bones shattering, eye trauma, lungs being punctured, blood filling his lungs and airway collapsing. She looks away stopping just short of her house. "Senpai cried too." Pleading, frenetic tears that neither of them will ever bleach from their minds. They feel as though they've seen something never meant to be seen. Something private. They're both silent for a minute, standing at the doorway to Rise's house. Kanji makes no move to say goodbye until he spots Rise's grandmother glaring at him through her bedroom window. Wow, if looks could kill. You know what? Nevermind. It's best not to think of death anymore tonight.

"You'd better go inside before your grandma beats me with that broomstick of hers." She's chased away her share of gawkers after all.

"Yeah." Rise says halfheartedly. She doesn't want to leave friendly company tonight, but there's no way Gram is going to let a boy, not to mention a boy like Kanji stay over so late at night. Kanji turns on his heel to make for his house just down the street but stops when Rise calls him back. "Hey...before we go back int the TV..." She starts. "We should make plans. Just in case something happens to one of us." That just about knocks the wind out of him. How could she? Plans? How do you plan for death? He can't turn around. He won't think about death anymore tonight, goddamn it. He won't acknowledge how right she is.

He pretends not to hear her disappointed sigh just before she slams the door.


	4. Chapter 4

It's Sunday. You have the day of from school.

PI PI PI PI PI!

It's a text from Noato.

 _VISITING YOS-SENPAI. COMING?_

Exams are coming up.

You spend Sunday studying.


End file.
